A day or two before you plan to begin this activity, ask each student or group of students to bring a piece of bread to class (bakery-type or “natural” bread containing no preservatives works best). As an alternative, you can bake bread or biscuits or have students bake bread at home with parental supervision. Recipes are included in a PDF at www.k8science.org, under Classroom Lessons. If you do not wish to grow bread mold in the classroom, pure cultures can be purchased from scientific supply companies.

NOTE: While the common molds that grow on bread are generally harmless, some students may be allergic to the spores that are produced. Therefore, have your students observe the molds without opening the sealable bags or other containers in which they have been grown. Wear disposable plastic gloves if you plan to handle mold samples for demonstration purposes. Pour diluted chlorine bleach (10%) into the bags containing mold samples before disposing of the bags.

References:

Moreno N., B. Tharp, and J. Dresden. (2011). The Science of Air Teacher’s Guide. Third edition. Baylor College of Medicine.